APA Student Guide

54 Pages·2017·3.73 MB·English

APA Student Guide
Centre for Applied Arts & Sciences
September 2017
http://www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca/go/apaguide.pdf
Author: Carolyn Ethier

Produced by: Centre for Applied Arts and Sciences
Lethbridge College

© 2017 Lethbridge College

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APA Student Guide
Sixth edition

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all the students and instructors who provided valuable feedback on the previous
editions of the APA Student Guide, and especially Rika Snip, Clayton Crawshaw, Andrew Derksen,
Ashley Burke, and other Learning Café staff for offering specific recommendations on new editions.

The first edition of this guide expanded on a previous publication, APA Research Paper, prepared by
Phyllis Day Chief and Lucelle Prindle. Their work, along with recommendations from other English
faculty and students in the Centre for for Applied Arts and Sciences, is greatly appreciated. Thanks
also to Shawn Matheny for supplying sample reference pages and to those who helped with the initial
development of the first edition: Melissa Goates, who reviewed an early draft, and Sonja Mack and
Kyla Housenga, who offered technical support.

Carolyn Ethier
English Faculty
Centre for Applied Arts and Sciences
July 2014

Online Version

http://www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca/go/apaguide.pdf
Contents

Chapter 1 Using APA Style in College Courses ....................................................................... 1
What is APA style? ........................................................................................................................ 1
Who sets the guidelines? ............................................................................................................... 1
What is new in the sixth edition? ................................................................................................... 1
Why do I need to learn APA style? ................................................................................................ 2
Are the APA style guidelines for submitting papers to instructors the same as the ones for
submitting manuscripts to publishers? .................................................................................. 2
Will all my projects follow APA style? ............................................................................................ 2
Chapter 2 Getting Started in APA Style ................................................................................. 3
Where do I start? ........................................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 3 Documenting Sources Within the Paper ................................................................. 4
What are in-text citations? ............................................................................................................. 4
Why do I need to cite my sources? ................................................................................................ 4
What do I need to cite? .................................................................................................................. 4
What do I not need to cite? ............................................................................................................ 5
Should I just add the in-text citations after I write the paper? ........................................................ 5
When should I use direct quotations? ............................................................................................ 8
How do I indicate that I have omitted or added words in a direct quotation? ................................ 8
Chapter 4 Formatting In-text Citations ................................................................................ 11
How do I set up in-text citations of information I put in my own words? ...................................... 11
How do I set up in-text citations of information I gathered through personal interviews, e-mail
messages, phone conversations? ....................................................................................... 11
How do I set up in-text citations of direct quotations? ................................................................. 11
What if I write several statements in one paragraph based on the same source? ...................... 13
How do I handle two or more works by different authors that all contribute to a point I am making
in the paper? ....................................................................................................................... 13
How do I cite a source that I found in another source? (secondary citation) ............................... 13
How do I cite a specific part of a source (e.g., a figure or a table within an article or book)? ...... 13
How do I cite a source with no author named? ........................................................................... 13
Chapter 5 Creating a Reference Page .................................................................................. 15
Chapter 6 Formatting Reference Page Entries .................................................................... 17
Where do I start? ......................................................................................................................... 17
How do I format reference entries for print sources? ................................................................... 17
What other elements do I add for electronic (digital) sources? ................................................... 18
How do I decide whether to use italics or quotation marks for titles? .......................................... 21
What if my source does not provide all the information needed for a reference entry? .............. 21
How do I cite personal communication on my reference page? .................................................. 21
Sample reference entries: Periodicals (print and digital) ............................................................. 22
Sample reference entries: Nonperiodical online publications ..................................................... 24
Sample reference entries: Books ................................................................................................. 26
Sample reference entries: Miscellaneous print sources .............................................................. 28
Sample reference entries: Audiovisual media ............................................................................. 29
Sample reference entries: Miscellaneous other works ................................................................ 30
Chapter 7 Word Processing Details ...................................................................................... 31
Chapter 8 Guidelines on Writing Style ................................................................................. 33
Chapter 9 Page Layout in Copy Manuscript Style (Standard APA) ....................................... 35
Title page ...................................................................................................................................... 35
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ 36
Text of paper ................................................................................................................................ 37
References ................................................................................................................................... 38
Chapter 10 Page Layout Variations as Defined by Specific Courses, Programs, or
Institutions ............................................................................................................................. 39
Title page ...................................................................................................................................... 39
Text of paper ................................................................................................................................ 40
References ................................................................................................................................... 41
Chapter 11 Writing an “A” Paper ......................................................................................... 42
References .............................................................................................................................. 45
Appendix A Key differences between copy and final manuscripts ........................................ 46
Appendix B Brief index: Answers to FAQs about references ................................................. 47

Chapter 1 Using APA Style in College Courses
What is APA style?
APA style is a standard for publication in a range of academic disciplines, including the social
sciences, nursing, education, and criminology. It is currently used by over a thousand research
journals to guide writers submitting articles for publication. Colleges and universities also have
requirements for students formatting papers; some departments base their guidelines on APA style.

Who sets the guidelines?
The American Psychological Association began publishing a manual of guidelines for writers in 1952.
Subsequent editions have been written to reflect changes in such things as language use, research
methods, and technology.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, now in
its sixth edition, is a 272-page book of instructions on grammar,
mechanics, presentation of data, and formats. It also contains a detailed
system of handling references. The sixth edition is the primary source
of information for this brief student guide.

Writers looking for more detailed explanations will find them in the
complete manual, which is available in academic bookstores, libraries and
most online bookstores, and in the supplemental materials available on the
APA website (http://www.apastyle.apa.org).

The APA website also offers tutorials on APA style, answers to Frequently
Asked Questions, and a blog hosted by editors of the latest edition of the
publication manual.

What is new in the sixth edition?
The new manual has been completely reorganized and simplified. These specific content changes
are reflected in this student guide:

• continued use of DOI as key identifier of electronic sources (as begun in the 2007 interim
resource, APA Guide to Electronic References), plus expanded examples of electronic
sources
• a few new guidelines regarding citation formats for sources with multiple authors
• new, simplified layout guidelines for headings
• format of the running head as the page header throughout paper

APA Student Guide Page 1
Why do I need to learn APA style?
The goal of following a style manual is to make your message clear and understandable to your
readers. This means logically arranging the information – and revealing that organizational pattern –
and clearly identifying the sources of that information. It also means reducing confusion by presenting
your work in a way that looks familiar to your readers.

When you meet your readers’ expectations, you are more likely to have your message understood
as you intend. If you can put yourself in the role of an editor or instructor who is looking at hundreds
of papers a year, you will see how helpful it is to skim through meaningful headings to get a sense of
a paper’s contents, or how beneficial it is to easily understand a paper’s list of references at a glance.
Are the APA style guidelines for submitting papers to instructors
the same as the ones for submitting manuscripts to publishers?
Yes and no. APA grammar and mechanics guidelines are the same for all users because clear,
concise writing is desirable in any context.

Differences may exist in the format requirements of particular assignments.

Instructors may ask you to use the standard APA format for copy manuscripts, the default format
represented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Copy manuscripts
are plain and have no visually appealing graphic design elements because they are intended to be
published in journals whose staff format the paper according to the journal’s design.

Instructors may also ask you to present assignments as final manuscripts that are formatted to
enhance readability and visual interest. The fifth edition of the manual offers this advice to instructors
and students in academic contexts:

Writers are reminded that they are preparing the “final” copy. Because the manuscript will not
be set in type, the manuscript must be as readable as possible. . . . Reasonable exceptions
to APA style . . . often make sense and are encouraged to better serve communication and
improve the appearance of the final document. (APA, 2001, pp. 324-325)

The readability of a final manuscript may be improved, for example, by

• incorporating tables and figures within the text of the paper rather than at the end
• using different fonts for or increasing spacing around headings
• single spacing within table titles and headings
• single spacing within reference entries
• modifying the information provided on the title page

This APA Student Guide will demonstrate copy manuscript guidelines and will also identify a few key
places where modifications may be desirable in assignments presented as final manuscripts. You
should always check with your instructors’ format guidelines for specific assignments.
Will all my projects follow APA style?
Following APA style is just one way to set up a paper. Depending on your field of study, you may need
to use another system some day, such as one from the Modern Languages Association (MLA), the
Council of Science Editors (CSE), or the University of Chicago. The good news is that once you
understand one system, you will know what kinds of things matter and be able to adapt successfully.
APA Student Guide Page 2
Chapter 2 Getting Started in APA Style
Where do I start?
Begin by learning how to document the sources of your writing. You must meet two requirements:

1. Within the text of your paper, identify each source of information by naming its author(s) and
year of publication. These notations are called in-text citations or in-text references.
2. At the end of your paper, provide the full bibliographic information for all of your sources on a
page titled “References.”

At a glance . . .

A few examples of the two places to document sources

In-text citation Reference page entry
Journal article with DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Beschta, R. L. (2003). Cottonwoods, elk and wolves
National Park has helped regulate in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National
populations of not only elk but also aspen Park. Ecological Applications 13, 1295-1309.
and willows (Beschta, 2003). doi:10.1890/02-5175

Book

Lewis (2005) argues that many African Lewis, S. (2005). Race against time. Toronto, ON:
countries have not responded effectively to Anansi Press.
the AIDS pandemic because of the
conditions tied to loans from the World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund in the
1980s and 1990s.
Document from a website, open source, content not fixed (could be changed over time)

Twenty new wind farms built in 2006 Jay, P. (2007, March 7). Wind resistance: A “green”
doubled Canada’s overall wind capacity in energy choice pushing for widespread
one year (Jay, 2007). acceptance. CBC News In Depth. Retrieved
August 16, 2009, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/
background/energy/wind-resistance.html
APA Student Guide Page 3